a Touch of the Past (An Everly Gray Adventure) (31 page)

Mitch nudged me. "Everything okay?"

I met his gaze. "It’s good. Why don’t you take Jayne and Sean to the cafeteria? I need some time alone with Annie and Parker. Maybe you can talk to them about the wedding. I think Jayne will take it better from you, and I want her to be pro-Everly for the ceremony. We’ve come a long way and are friends now, but still, you’re her little brother."

He grinned, one of those gotcha smiles that was filled with pearly white teeth. "On it, Sunshine."

They trooped out, glad, I think, to have a break from the horrible uncertainty that had plagued all of us since Annie had been wounded.
 

I went to Parker first. Wrapped my hands around his feet, closed my eyes, and breathed into the space around him. The energy moved, symmetrical and fast, like tiny sparkles dancing in a ray of sunlight. I sighed, loudly. He really was okay. Since I’d worked on Annie first, and since I’d been on the verge of exhaustion by the time I'd healed Parker, I had to be sure. Had to know I hadn’t cheated him in the healing process.
 

I rounded the bed and cradled his hand between mine. "I think you know I’m here. But it doesn’t matter if you do or not, or even if you ever remember. I want to thank you for letting me share your aura, for trusting me enough to let me clean it, and give you new life. I know it wouldn’t have worked without your consent, so, just thank you. Your trust means a lot to me."

His eyelids fluttered, and for a nanosecond of a moment, he opened his eyes and saw me.

It was enough. I backed away, snatching a tissue from the box on his bedside table to dry my tears. Happy, relieved tears.
 

And then I poked my head around the curtain. Annie was next.

I sat on the bed next to her, laid my hand, palm up on the blankets, and then placed her hand crosswise on top of mine, but I didn’t let my fingertips touch her. Not yet.

She was in deep sleep, but I had to ask her, because no way could I get married unless I did. "You know I love you, Annie. I think we were sisters from the instant we met, and our bond has only grown stronger. You and Sean were supposed to get married tomorrow, but you need to get your strength back first."

I inhaled, then blew out the breath, searching for words. "Mitch proposed yesterday, and I said yes. Then our townhouses were broken into, and so we have to go back to North Carolina. But everyone we care about is here, so we want to get married before we leave. We’re going to ask Jayne and Adam to stand up for us, and we want to use the wedding chapel at the Hilton, to be married with your energy all around us. You chose the site and selected the flowers and music, so it’ll be like you’re there, giving us your blessing. Is that okay, Annie?"

The room was so still, and Annie’s breathing so steady and quiet that apprehension knotted in my stomach, then sent a tremor through my fingers. Was it really all right to steal Annie’s wedding? I closed my eyes and rested my fingertips against the back of her hand.

Nothing.
 

"It’s okay if you can’t show me. But I need something, some sign, that it’s all right, and that you’ll be there watching over Mitch and me."

And then an image formed in my mind. Hazy at first, then slowly becoming more distinct. A couple stood at an altar, and the turquoise blue, sun-dappled ocean waves filled the view from the window in front of them. It was definitely the Hilton. The bride and groom weren’t clear, so I couldn’t tell if it was Annie and Sean or Mitch and me.
 

I needed more, so I closed my eyes and watched Annie’s aura. It sparkled, vibrating with life. I breathed easier. This time the image blossomed within her aura. It wasn’t like on my monitor, not contained on a virtual screen in my head. It was big. Life sized. Mitch and I holding hands, standing outside, and the bells were ringing.
 

Tears slid down my cheeks.
 

I opened my eyes and bent to kiss Annie’s forehead. "Thank you."

Her lips twitched. I called it a smile.

And when I moved my hand, she tightened her fingers for just a second, barely long enough for me to register the pressure. But it was there.
 

We had her blessing.

Twenty-eight

Airport parking was tedious, but
Mitch and I
found two spots together not too far from baggage claim, then moseyed inside to wait for Adam. He met us on the walkway between the terminal and the parking garage, pulling two suitcases behind him. I gave him a quick hug, peering over his shoulder to check out the size of the bags. "What? Are you moving here?"
 

He gave me a sheepish grin. "Yeah. Quit my job so I could be close to Annie and Sean. They’re family. And I had a good offer from the Honolulu PD."

Zap. Another person I cared about gone. Just like that.
 

We went to work wedging one of the suitcases into the trunk or our rental, and one into the back seat, then handed Adam the keys to the Jeep. I’d already programmed the GPS for Tripler.
 

Free of the baggage, Adam grabbed me in a bear hug. "How’s Annie? I talked to Sean just before I boarded the flight, and I’ve read your text messages, so I know she’s gonna be all right, but I need to hear it from her doctors. Need to see her."

I patted his back. "She’s going to be fine. Mitch and I just came from visiting."
 

Mitch gave him one of those guy knuckle-bumps. "They’ve been moved to a regular room, and the docs are taking her and Parker off sedation tomorrow."

I picked up the conversation. "They said it might take a few days for them to be totally coherent, but they should be moving around and eating within twenty-four hours."

Adam blew out a sigh. "Thanks for taking care of her. I spoke with Pierce just before I left North Carolina. We, ah, went through your townhouse thoroughly. I’m sorry, El, but it’s a mess."

His words didn’t spark much reaction in me. Odd. I shrugged it off. Probably I was on overload. "Annie’s computers. I know she had some kind of secret set up."

"Not touched. Pierce is taking care of it."
 

Sunlight splashed against my eyelids
. How could it possibly be morning? And then I remembered. It was my wedding day. I rolled over, reaching for Mitch. Cold sheets. No warm body.

I sat up, blinking the sleep from my eyes. He’d left a note on his pillow.
 

Good morning, Sunshine. Had an errand. Get a move on. We have a license and rings to do before three. Love you, M.

A text to Mitch, a five-minute shower, and one flowery sundress with matching slippahs later, I met him in the lobby. As far as good morning kisses went—it was a winner.

"So you’re sure there won’t be a problem getting the license?" The lines around his eyes were wrinkled, underlying the worry in his voice.

 
"Positive. Annie and Sean did it. You need ID, and there’s no waiting period." I tugged on his hand. "Let’s go before there’s a long line."

Mitch winked at me. "You’re just in a hurry to shop for the rings."

We whisked through the courthouse in forty minutes. I used the time to send messages to Jayne, Sean, and Adam. There would be no ring shopping until I knew that both Annie and Parker were still on schedule to be taken off sedation.

No one had texted me back by the time we had our marriage license, so Mitch phoned the nurses’ station. He listened, a grin spreading over his face, then he pocketed his phone and swung me around. "They’re awake. Not talking yet, still too groggy, but soon. They’re really gonna be okay, Sunshine."

Tension drained from my body. I knew yesterday when I checked on them, but hearing that they were actually awake, a huge weight disappeared from the pit of my stomach. I broke into a giggle fit with tears running down my cheeks. "I swear, I’ve cried more since I’ve been here than during the whole rest of my life."

Mitch held my hand as we headed down the street. "Yeah. It’s been a tough week."

I could barely keep up with him, he was moving so quickly. "So, where are we headed?"

"Tiffany’s. I want your ring safely tucked in my pocket before we head to Tripler, and I know you want to visit Annie and Parker before our wedding."
 

"Yeah, of course. You know, I’m thinking we can Skype Sean, Annie, and Parker into the ceremony, just like we’re doing for your family. They might not be able to communicate with us, but they could still be a part of it."

We decided to bring my laptop to Tripler and test it right after we got the rings.
 

Tiffany’s stood tall, a stone building with glass doors, manned by doormen. Impressive. My curiosity kicked up. "Any special reason you chose this jewelry store?"
 

"Yeah. I like it. I’ve bought a few things for Jayne from them, and—" he shrugged—"it worked."

My grin started from a soft spot in the middle of my heart. "You’re such a guy, Mitchell Hunt."
 

He’d picked out a huge diamond for me, three carats, round, set in yellow gold.
 

Such a guy.
 

I nudged him with a gentle elbow to the ribs. "That’s not it."

His eyebrows hiked. "No?"

"No." I turned to the customer assistant. "Can we see something in a square cut, one carat, platinum setting, please?"

Mitch touched my cheek. "That’s definite. Why?"

I wasn’t about to explain that my belly jewel was round and this needed to be different, so I went with the bigger part of the reason. "What I did with Annie and Parker, the healing thing, part of that was integrated with diamond energy. I don’t know why, really I don’t, but this ring is a symbol of our love and the strength that we have because we’ve chosen to become one. For some reason it has to be square, and platinum is cleaner than gold. I’m not making any sense, am I?"
 

He shook his head. "Not a lot, but I’m okay with it. Why such a small diamond? If you’re going to use it in your new healing work, wouldn’t bigger be better?"

That one got him an eye roll. "Look at my fingers. Small hands. Even one carat is going to be huge. And I have things to do. I use my hands a lot in my work, you know, the whole ESP fingers thing I have going on. Anything larger would be in the way."

He rested his index finger against his chin, looking like the wisest of sages. "Right. Whatever you want is fine with me. I’m all about a plain platinum band, myself."

We walked out of the store with two signature boxes and smiles on our faces, and then we played finger games while we walked to the car. Normal, romantic behavior between two people about to get married.
 

It settled me enough that I started to worry about loose ends. Like why someone broke into my house. We were missing something about that, but I didn’t want to talk about it, not so close to the wedding. Mitch and I should be allowed this small window of time to do nothing but be happy together.

The ride to Tripler triggered a memory of my last meeting with my grandfather. "Do we have time to go to the North Shore and bring my grandfather back for the ceremony? I hate that there’s no way to contact him, and I’d really like him to be there."

Mitch pointed at the clock on the dashboard. "It’s almost one, and that’s a forty-five minute drive."

"One! Holy Mamma Mia, how did it get so late? I have to get ready, and we should probably eat something so our stomachs don’t rumble all through the ceremony. Also, we don’t have a clue what Annie had planned. Is this a long deal, or short? Are we walking in together? Or, never mind. We’re walking in together. No way is anyone giving me away. Even if there was someone to do it, this is my decision, our decision to spend our lives together. I want to own that."

"Sunshine…"

"Hmm?" My mind was ticking off things I had to do before three o’clock. Bathe, shave, curl my hair…

"We’d be fine if we walked into the chapel right now, just like we are, and said our vows. The rest of it is nice, but the stuff that matters we’ve already done. We made our promises last night."

He had a point. "You’re right. I just want it to be perfect. I guess all brides do."

Mitch reached over and held my hand. "It can’t be anything but perfect, because Annie planned it, and what we share is…perfect, to over use your new favorite word."

I smiled. "I’ll go with that."

We pulled into the Tripler parking lot, hustled upstairs, made final arrangements with Jayne and Adam, set up my laptop so Sean, Annie, and Parker could attend the ceremony, and were on our way to the Ma Kai to get ready before thirty minutes had passed. We didn’t have time to ask Sean anything about what to expect during the ceremony. It was going to be a huge lesson in trust and in going with the flow.

I chased Mitch into Adam’s room to shower and get dressed, because, seriously, a bride needs her space, and I wanted to surprise him at the chapel. Adam had agreed to pick me up at the hotel, and Mitch would drive separately—in the Jeep. No way was I riding to my wedding in an open vehicle. It gave me the shudders just thinking about what it would do to my hair.